United Plankton Charitable Trust
United Plankton Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including arts and cultural institutions, educational organizations, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
United Plankton Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: United Plankton Charitable Trust gave $3.4M across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $197K), mostly in California. 35% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,352,000
- +249.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- +6.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $197,176
- +229.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $8,349,298
- -5.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (6 of 17, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (95% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to United Plankton Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 11835 W Olympic Blvd 650E, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310) 481-5000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who United Plankton Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was California Institute of the Arts ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
81 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 81 (54%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 4% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is United Plankton Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 17 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $97K; repeat grants $252K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $120K repeat.
- 65% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 420% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 758% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $645K (2021) to $3.4M (2024). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $3.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA | To further organization's charitable purpose.to further organization's charitable purpose.to further organization's charitable purpose. | $1,000,000 |
| Hammer Museum Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $615,000 |
| Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation Arcata, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $345,000 |
| The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $315,000 |
| Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $250,000 |
| Performance Art Museum Los Angeles, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $200,000 |
| Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Los Angeles, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $150,000 |
| Pasadena Conservatory of Music Pasadena, CA | To further organization's charitable purpose.to further organization's charitable purpose. | $120,000 |
| Heart of the Brain Los Angeles, CA | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $100,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc New York, NY | To Further Organization's Charitable Purpose. | $100,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $8,349,298 | $2,557,678 | $3,417,239 | $3,352,000 | 17 | $3,352,000 | $497,299 | $442,415 |
| 2023 | $8,811,019 | $3,294,506 | $1,000,002 | $958,400 | 16 | $958,400 | $257,305 | $8,404 |
| 2022 | $5,838,623 | $274,567 | $896,669 | $837,500 | 16 | $858,074 | $235,972 | $325,352 |
| 2021 | $8,033,137 | $731,777 | $698,767 | $645,000 | 14 | $645,000 | $684,438 | $389,156 |
| 2020 | $7,861,937 | $345,092 | $796,178 | $778,000 | 18 | — | $301,965 | $362,443 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, United Plankton Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $442K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including contemporary art, music, education, and reproductive health. For example, the California Institute of the Arts describes its work as an educational community of artists grounded in experimentation and creative freedom. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association says its offerings include performances, media initiatives, and learning programs, while Planned Parenthood Federation of America describes its mission as providing leadership in reproductive and complementary health care and public policy advocacy.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the trust made 17 grants totaling $3,352,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $100,000. Among the largest awards were $1,000,000 to the California Institute of the Arts, $615,000 to the Hammer Museum Los Angeles, $345,000 to Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation, $315,000 to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and $250,000 to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Other listed grants included $200,000 to Performance Art Museum, $150,000 to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, $120,000 to Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and $100,000 each to Heart of the Brain and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The filing lists grant purposes as furthering the recipients’ charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Karen Hillenburg as trustee.
United Plankton Charitable Trust is led by Karen Hillenburg, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Karen Hillenburg
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about United Plankton Charitable Trust
How much does United Plankton Charitable Trust give each year?
United Plankton Charitable Trust gave $3.4M across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $958K across 16 grants.
What is United Plankton Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
United Plankton Charitable Trust's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $197,176, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from United Plankton Charitable Trust that year got $97K on average.
Where does United Plankton Charitable Trust give grants?
United Plankton Charitable Trust gives mostly in California: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (7 grants), Pasadena, CA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Who are United Plankton Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
United Plankton Charitable Trust's largest 2024 grantees include California Institute of the Arts ($1,000,000), Hammer Museum Los Angeles ($615,000) and Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation ($345,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is United Plankton Charitable Trust?
United Plankton Charitable Trust reported $8.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $442K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does United Plankton Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including contemporary art, music, education, and reproductive health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Plankton Charitable Trust?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is United Plankton Charitable Trust's EIN?
United Plankton Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-6582607. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does United Plankton Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). United Plankton Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/united-plankton-charitable-trust-morg_f2fd671271924961928feb9a8a60e130
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_206582607_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{United Plankton Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/united-plankton-charitable-trust-morg_f2fd671271924961928feb9a8a60e130},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from United Plankton Charitable Trust's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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